Mine door structure



B. MULLINS. ET AL MINE DobR STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 5, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheetl fiepit. 24, W3. 8. MULLINS EE AL wfiwfi MINE DOOR STRUCTURE FiledSept. 5, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I nvento'r E Mwfzr'was if? F. Bwawm Sept,24, W35. B. MULLINS ET AL MINE DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 5, 1954 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor Wa 171 31: A 7F? Brcww [TED STATES PATENT orricsMINE DOOR STRUCTURE Boyd Mullins and Arthur Randolph Brown, Keystone, W.Va.

Application September 5, 1934, Serial No. 742,842

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved mine door structure of theso-called mechanical automatically operable type, that is the formwherein a pair of co-mplemental doors are mounted to swing in ahorizontal plane on a vertical axis and are susceptible of being swungto open position by the cars as they pass back and forth through thetunnel.

I It is generally well known that in mine tunnels it is customary toprovide closures or doors at predetermined intervals in order to closethe tunnel for the purpose of controlling and deflecting the air usuallyemployed for ventilating the mine. These doors serve to divide thetunnel into individual runways and to shunt the. air from a mainpassageway to a branch passageway or tunnel in a well known manner.

We are aware of the fact that numerous forms of door constructions havebeen developed to accomplish the desired results and it thereforefollows that by way of contrast we have evolved and produced an improvedstructure characterized by noteworthy refinements and distinctionscalculated to enable the invention, as a whole, to better perform theanticipated result and to fulfill the requirements in a satisfactory anddependable manner.

As will be evident from the succeeding description and accompanyingillustrative drawings the principal novelty is predicated upon thebumpers orbuffers on the companion doors, together with the hingemounting for the doors and the guiding and return means especiallydevised to insure efficient opening and closing of the doors.

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description and drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in section and elevation showing'the preferredembodiment of the inven-- tion, the doors being swung to closingposition.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the structure illustrated inFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail View in elevation and sec- .tion disclosing anespecially designed guide arm.

Figure 4 is an end view illustrating the general shape and position ofthe guide rails or tracks.

Figure 5 is a View in section and elevation illustrating the door hinge,or mounting.

Figure 6 is a View in section and elevation showing the adjoining endsof the associated track rails and the manner in which the guide rollercooperates therewith.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals itwill be observed that the numeral 1 designates either the mine tunnel oran enclosure in said tunnel or passageway to accommodate car tracks 8.For the purpose of accommodating features of the invention this 5enclosure is shown in Figure 2 as provided with a pair of opposedV-shaped extensions 9 to prevent air leakage and to accommodate certainof the parts of the structure. It is evident, however, that this housingor enclosure may be of 10 any appropriate construction. As a matter offact in less thorough constructions the door structure can be mounted inthe tunnel without protective and guard means. It is preferred howeverto use the structure illustrated in the 15 drawings.

The doors, which may be of any dimension and material, are denoted bythe numerals Iii in Figure 1. Inasmuch as both doors and the associatedmechanism is the same in each instance a 20 description of one willsuffice for both. It is understood, however, that the door and theircomplemental parts are arranged opposite each other that is in pairs wasto. provide the desired transverse closure for the tunnel.

Directing attention at this time to Figure 5 it will be observed thatthe door is provided on opposite sides and adjacent its bottom withduplicate semi-oval guards H. These serve as bumpers or buifers' andwhen properly in position define a 30 substantially oval shaped bumperwhose sections ll serve to permit the door to be swung open in eitherdirection, that is irrespective of the movement of the car along thetrack. The numeral I2 designates a vertical post and the numeral i3 35designates a surrounding tube or sleeve carried by the door and mountedfor oscillation on said post. This provides the desired vertical hingestructure forthe horizontally swingable door. It will be further notedthat the oscillatory sleeve is provided with diametrically opposedprojection Hi carrying headed studs l5. These studs serve as pivotalconnections for the arms of a yoke carried on the inner end of thetwo-way drag and guide arm N. This arm is in the nature of a rod 45 asshown in Figure 3 and on its free end is provided with an anti-frictionroller l8 which functions as a shoe. This shoe is adapted to run backand forth on one of the guide rails 19. There are two of these rails asshown in Figure 4 and they extend outwardly with their free endsproperly shaped and bent and suitably anchored. The rails curvegradually upwardly and then inwardly so as to allow the roller E8 on thearm ii to swing in the desired are or path as the door swings fromopposed complemental guide rails.

shut to open position and then back to closed position. It will benoticed in Figure 5 that the oscillation of the sleeve I3 carries thearm I! with it. The arm however has an up and down direction of movementthat is substantially perpendicular so that it can follow the contour orshape of the complemental guide rails. It will be further noted inFigure 6 that the inner ends of the two rails come together in V-shapedform as indicated at 20 and this forms a sort of a keeper or seat inwhich the roller drops when in centralized or neutral position. Thisarrangement also allows the roller to ride up on the rails, that iseither rail according to the direction of movement of the associateddoor. It is evident therefore that we have a swingable door providedwith bumpers I I wherein said door is hingedly mounted by a sleeve orequivalent device I3 on the post l2. The sleeve carries a drag link orarm I! having an anti-friction shoe at its free end movable along Theguide rails and arm I! are located in the V-shaped extension of theenclosure as depicted in Figure 2 of the drawings. If desired theenclosure structure may include a pair of spaced parallel walls 2| whichfunction as a partition and guard in which the arm I! comes to rest,that is in its normal centralized position. When this boxing arrangementis employed it is necessary to provide hinged closures 22 as shown inFigure 6 so as to provide effective air protection means.

We now call attention to the counterweight cable and pulley assemblageshown in Figure 1. To begin with numeral 23 designates a post orstandard mounted between the walls 2|. This carries a pulley 24 overwhich the cable 25 is trained, the free end of the cable being attachedby a collar or bracket 26 to the intermediate portion of the adjacentswingable arm l1. Then the cable extends up and over a second guidepulley 21 and on the free end of the cable is a counterweight 28. It isevident therefore that as the car comes into contact with the bumper itrides in a cam-like manner on the bumper and forces the door openagainst the retention action of the counterweight 28. This lifts theweight up and places the door under a return strain so that as the carpasses beyond the door the counterweight, in an evident manner closesthe door through the instrumentality of the cable and pulley arrangementand arm l1. As before stated the arm I! has a two-way movement so as toallow it to accommodate the shoe and guide rail means.

It is evident from the drawings and description that novelty ispredicated in one instance on the particular door and bumperconstruction which arrangement is calculated to operate freely andeffectively. Secondly novelty is predicated upon the hinge mountingillustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings together with the yoke I6 anddrag rod or arm I1, and the features I4 and I5 which provide for therequisite movement of the arm I I in order to accomplish effectivestabilized opening and closing of the door. Finally novelty is attachedto the cable and pulley and weight arrangement shown in Figure 1 which,it is believed, satisfactorily performs its appointed task and does thisin a reliable manner.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the inventionafter considering the description in connection with the drawings.Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size, and rearrangement of details coming withinthe field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, ifdesired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. In a structure of the class described, a fixed vertical support, asleeve mounted for oscillation on said support, a door attached to saidsleeve, bumpers on said door, said sleeve being provided with headedstuds, a guide arm having yoke mem- 1 bers pivotally connected with saidstuds to cause the arm to swing in a horizontal plane and to allow it tohave vertical movement as well, said arm being provided with ananti-friction roller, and a pair of relatively stationary guide railswith 1 which said roller cooperates.

2. In a structure of the class described, a fixed vertical support, asleeve mounted for oscillation on said support, a door attached to saidsleeve,

bumpers on said door, said sleeve being provided 20 with headed studs, aguide arm having yoke members pivotally connected with said studs tocause the arm to swing in a horizontal plane and to allow it to havevertical movement as well, said arm being provided with an anti-frictionroller, and a pair of relatively stationary guide rails with which saidroller cooperates, a cable, a plurality of pulleys over which said cableis trained, said cable being attached at one end to the arm, and

guide rails, a stationary standard, a pulley on said 40 standard, acable trained over said pulley and attached at one end to said arm, asecond pulley, said cable being trained over said second pulley, andsaid cable being provided on its free end with a counterweight.

4. In a structural assemblage of the class described, a fixedly mountedvertical post, a door equipped with a sleeve mounted for oscillation onsaid post, a guide arm pivotally attached at its inner end to saidsleeve in a manner to cause 50 said arm to swing with the door andsleeve while simultaneously moving in a vertical plane, an anti-frictionshoe on the outer end of said am, a fixed standard arranged adjacent tosaid post,

a pair of companion track rails fixedly secured at their inner ends tosaid standard, said shoe being engageable with and movable outwardly andinwardly along said rails, a pulley mounted on said standard, a cableattached at its inner end to the arm adjacent said shoe, said cablebeing trained over said pulley, a second pulley fixedly mounted at anelevation above said first named pulley, the free end portion of saidcable passing over said second pulley, and a counterweight on the freeend of said cable.

5. In a structural assemblage of the class described, a fixedly mountedvertical post, a door .equipped with a sleeve mounted for oscillation onsaid post, a guide arm pivotally attached at its inner end to saidsleeve in a manner to cause 7 said arm to swing with the door and sleevewhile simultaneously moving in a vertical plane, an anti-friction shoeon the outer end of said arm, a fixed standard arranged adjacent to saidpost, a pair of companion track rails fixedly secured 7 at their innerends to said standard, said shoe being engageable with and movableoutwardly and inwardly along said rai1s,'a pulley mounted on saidstandard, a cable attached at its inner end to the arm adjacent saidshoe, said cable being trained over said pulley, a second pulley fixedlymounted at an elevation above said first named pulley, the free endportion of said cable passing over said second pulley, a counter-weighton the free end of said cable, and a protective enclosure for saidstandard, arm, pulleys and cable, said enclosure including a partitionmade up of spaced parallel walls disposed on opposite sides of thestandard and its complemental features.

6'. In a mine door construction of the class described, a protectiveenclosure including a pair of opposed end extensions having verticaloppositely located partitions, said partitions being made up of spacedparallel walls, vertical posts mounted in the enclosure at the innervertical ends of said partitions, a pair of bumper equipped car actuateddoors mounted on said posts in complemental alignment, standards mountedin the partitions between the adjacent pairs of walls, guide railsattached to the standards, arms connected with and swingable with saiddoors and having drag 10 means cooperable with said guide rails, saidstandards having pulleys, and cables attached to the arms and cooperablewith said pulleys.

BOYD MULLINS. ARTHUR RANDOLPH BROWN.

